Maintenance of F-1 Status
To maintain F-1 status, students must do the following:
- Maintain a valid passport
- Attend the school they are authorized to attend (in essence they should be attending the school INS last authorized for attendance- -see the INS stamp in the upper right corner of the I-20ID or the school that has processed a transfer with the INS, whichever is later)
- Pursue a full course of study and make normal progress towards the completion of the course of study. Full-course of study or full-time study is defined in the regulations as follows:
Undergraduate student: at least 12 credit hours per term, or the equivalent (as determined by District Director in school approval process)
Student in post-secondary language, liberal arts, fine arts or other nonvocational program which confers associate or other degrees: at least 12 clock hours of instruction a week or its equivalent as determined by the district director in the school approval process
Student in all other post-secondary language, liberal arts, fine arts or other nonvocational programs: at least 18 clock hours of attendance a week if the dominant part of the course of study consists of classroom instruction or at least 22 clock hours a week if the dominant part of the course of study consists of lab work
- Exceptions to full course of study are:
- annual vacation
- medical problem (documentation from appropriate medical official is recommended)
- annual teaching or research assistantship - a student pursuing employment pursuant to the terms of a scholarship, fellowship or assistantship deemed to be part of the academic program may carry a reduced course load
- graduate students who have completed formal course work
- postdoctoral students or fellows (be pursuing a combination of coursework and research)
- valid academic reasons for enrolling less than full time (such as initial difficulties with English language or unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods)
- undergraduates completing programs during the current term
- full-time curricular practical training or full-time optional practical training
- Apply for extensions of program before the expiration date on the current I-20 if necessary
- Follow INS procedures for changing from one program or educational level to another (e.g. from MS degree to Ph.D. degree)
- Follow INS procedures for transferring from one school to another
- Limit on-campus employment to 20 hours a week while school is in session (full-time on-campus employment is permitted during vacation periods such summer as long as student was enrolled full- time the term before and intends to be full-time the following term)
- Refrain from off-campus employment without authorization. Limit off-campus employment (with authorization through economic hardship or part-time practical training) to 20 hours per week while school is in session
|
